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Corruption: Jonathan May Run Economy Aground –APC
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers State Chapter, has alerted Nigerians to the great danger that lies ahead as a result of the rising tide of corruption under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and the government’s failure to take concrete measures to reverse the trend.
Going by the rate of looting currently going on at the centre, Nigerians should not be surprised if the present administration completely runs the economy aground before leaving office after the 2015 elections, the APC warned.
A statement yesterday, signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the state Interim Chairm, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said that “the whopping sum of $29billion which the NNPC has failed to remit to the Federation Account, the missing N24billion Police Pension Fund and the inability of the Head of Service of the Federation to count for N340million, the billions of Naira allegedly spent on unverifiable fuel subsidy, just as the N10billion allegedly wasted by Minister of Petroleum Resources, Deziani Allison-Madueke for maintenance of a private jet, Challenger 850 Aircraft and its crew in the last two years, constitute economic crimes.
The statement said that in the face of all these, millions of Nigerians go about without employment or means of livelihood, and charged the administration to retrace its steps to save the nation from plunging into economic meltdown.
It indicated that the looting spree has continued while we Nigerians are inundated on daily basis with shrinking public finances in the face of ever increasing national needs, thus reducing the quality of governance and depriving Nigerians of the much-needed dividends of democracy.
The statement tasked Nigerians to “rise up and fight corruption as we cannot continue to watch while our common patrimony is being looted with impunity on a daily basis”.
Rivers APC, therefore, commended the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) for the strong position it took against the country’s worsening corruption situation during its Third Retreat held last week in Lagos.
“The retreat was an eye opener that demonstrated how a visionary and patriotic pressure group should conduct itself. The issues of corruption, the menace of insecurity and unemployment ravaging our nation were put in the front burner by the NGF and solutions proffered to them.
“Unfortunately, we have an inept administration at the centre which will likely not consider these revolutionary strategies advocated during the retreat”, the party said.
“We, however, urge Nigerians not to give up hope as, by the grace of God, these great minds in the NGF would have dislodged the visionless PDP at the centre by the time the 2015 elections are concluded to give Nigerians the seemingly elusive dividends of democracy and take the country out of her present woes”, it added.
The party also congratulated “the Governor Chibuike Amaechi-led NGF on its successful Third Retreat”, and urged it “not to relent in its efforts to ensure that we have a better Nigeria irrespective of the obvious obstacles orchestrated by the corrupt PDP government at the centre”.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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